Restraining device for children&#39;s high chairs



Sept. 16, 1952 P. E. GRQOMS 2,610,679

RESTRAINING DEVICE FOR CHILDREN'S HIGH CHAIRS Filed March 17, 1951 2 SHEETSSHEET l 16\ 2 1816 P EINVGENTOR.

zncv ROOMS 19 4 BY 30 AT TORNEYS Sept. 16, 1952 RESTRAINING Filed March 17, 1951 IN VEN TOR.

PsncYE. Geooms AT TORNEYS Patented Sept. 16, 1952 RESTRAINING DEVICE FOR CHILDRENS HIGH CHAIRS Percy E. Grooms, Troy, Ohio Application March 17, 1951, Serial No. 216,190

8 Claims (01. 155-189) This invention relates to restraining devices and more particularly to a device for restraining the movements of a child in a high chair to prevent a fall therefrom. g

The ordinary childs high chair embodies a seat portion which is supported on legs so that it is relatively high and in convenient position for serving the child and allowing it to sit at approximately the same level as an adult at a table or the like. The high chair usually has a step below the seat which is at a suitable height for the support of the childs legs and there is ordinarily a pivoted tray which may be lowered to restrain the child in normal position and to provide a table surface.

Because of the height of the seat portion of the chair above the floor it is important to assure that the child will not accidentally fall from the chair, particularly if he should attempt to stand up in the seat which would make an even greater fall. Where the construction of the chair is such that it is possible for an active child to squirm beneath the tray and work himself out of the chair, it is important that any device which is employed to restrain his upward movement should be such that it does not interfere with or cause any trapping of the child in the event he should attempt such downward movement.

In accordance with the present invention a restraining device is provided which effectively restricts the upward movement of the child so that he cannot stand up in the chair, and hence there is no danger of his falling over the tray or arms of the chair. This device is of such character that as long as the child sits normally in the chair, he is free to move about and kick his feet without any material interference and in fact ordinarily without being aware of the presence of the restraining device. However if he should attempt to stand up, the device prevents his doing so and thus assures that he cannot fall out of the chair. If, on the other hand, he should move downward out of the chair, either underneath the tray if it is in position or with it thrown back, the restraining device is' so arranged that it releases itself from the chair, and hence there is no possibility of his being trapped by the feet or otherwise held in a difilcult or dangerous position upon attempting to leave the chair.

It is accordingly the principal object of the invention to provide'a restraining device for use with. a childs high chair which is simple and easy to apply, which does not interfere with any of the normal movements of the child, which efiectively prevents the child from climbing up and falling out-of the chainand which further is adapted 2 l to'bereleased from the chair in response'to his downward movement. out of the chair. I

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

In the drawings-v Fig. 1 is a view in perspective showing a typical child's high chair with the restraining device of Fig. 5 is a vertical section partly in elevation and partly'in section through the device showin it in operative position-upon the :step of. a high chair;

Fig. 6 isa view partly in elevation and partly in section of a modified form of the device;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the form of. the device shown in Fig; 6; and

Fig. 8 is a vertical section on the line 8-8 :of Fig. 7.

Referring to the drawings, the high chair is shown as comprising rather long legs [0, a seat II, a pivoted tray l2 and a step 13. It will be understood that. other types of chairs may be used although the invention is intended primarily for a high chair of. this general type. The restraining device comprises a clampingv member indicated generally at E5 comprising two interfitting or telescoping slide parts 15 and H, the outer part It having grooves [8 (Fig. 4) for receiving the tongues [9 on the inner slide part. Each part carries an upwardly extending grip portion 20 at opposite ends, such grip portions 20 being conveniently provided with a ribbed frictional portion Zlsuch as a facingof rubber or the like secured in position thereon. A fastening such as a screw 22 is positioned in the lower side of each of the slide parts 16, I! the head thereof being left in spaced relation with the bottom face of the slide as shown in Fig. 5 providing, a convenient shoulder for. receiving a resilient member 24 in the form of an elastic cord loop passing around the two screws. The length of. the cord can. be adjusted by drawing the ends through the friction ball 25 and thereby determining the normal length of the cord and the amount of tension which it. exerts to draw the slides". to-

gether.

Eachoithe grips 20' is bored. to receive-.2, flexible leg embracing means 2! in the form of a non-elastic cord, the end of which is looped back and held in a friction ball 28 slidably adjustable along the length of the cord to thereby determine the size of the loop 29 which receives the legs of the child. On the lower side of the grip a stop or friction ball 30 is threaded on the cord and prevented from coming off by means of knot 3|. It will be evident that by pulling the cord downwardly through the ball 30 and tying other knots in the cord, the length of the free projecting portion of the cord above the clamping member may be predetermined and adjusted as desired.

In operation, the clamping member is first attached to the step [3 by manually pulling apart the clamping jaws or grips against thetension of resilient member 24 and releasing the jaws so that they will frictionally engage against the ends of the step with the main body of the device below the step as shown in Fig. 1. Adjustment of the desired amount of tension for this purpose is easily made by drawing more orless of the cord.

through the friction ball 25.

The child is then seated in the chair and the tray preferably lowered, following which the loops 29 are encircled over the legs of the child in the region of the ankle and the friction members 28 drawn up sufliciently so that the loop is of sufficiently small size that it will not slip over the foot of the child. The childs knee is then raised and the length of the cord is varied through the position of the stop member 30 so that the cord will limit his upward leg movement to approximately the extent indicated by the left leg in Fig. 1, i. e., such that the child cannot get his foot on the seat portion of the chair. The device is then fully adjusted and assurance is provided that, without interfering with his normal kicking and leg movements, the child will not be able to draw his legs up sufliciently far to permit him to stand up in the seat and hence he is fully protected from standing up and falling out of the chair from above the seat. If the child should slide downwardly out of the seat, either under the tray or with the tray lifted out of the way, such downward movement will draw on the cords in a downward direction which will effect the pulling away of the entire clamping device from the step, and thus the loops will be separated from the chair, and there will be no danger of the child being accidentally left hanging by the feet or otherwise afilxed to the chair.

In the modified construction shown in Figs.

6 through 8, corresponding parts are similarly numbered, the two slide portions Ilia and Ila in this form of the device being in slidable overlapping adjustment with respect to each other to slide within metal loops 40 and 4| one of which is attached to each of the slide members. The gripping jaws are bored to receive the resilient cord 44 which extends across from one jaw to the other with adjustable stop members 45 on either end thereof. By changing the position of the knots 46. the tension in this cord may be varied as desired. The elastic cord 44 is so arranged that it can be readily pulled around the bottom of the step where it snaps below the overhanging portion of the step 13 as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 7 to thereby yieldably retain the device in operative position.

The cords 21 which attach to the legs of the child extend through open vertically extending slots 50 in the face of the grip portions 20 and a plunger 5| is mounted to intercept the cords. being yieldably urged toward normal restraining position indicated in Fig. 6 by abutment with the end of the resilient cord 44. These plungers 5! are beveled as shown at 52 and as a result of this beveled surface, the cords 21 may be withdrawn from their normal engaging relation in response to a downward pull thereon by camming the plungers outwardly to a release position.

The operation of attaching the modified form of the device to the chair is similar to that described above except that the yieldable cord 44 is pulled down and caught beneath the edge of the step thereby tightening the same and urging the plungers 5| into locking position. The activities of the child are restrained in the manner and to the extent described above and in the event that he does move downward out of the chair such downward thrust on the cords 21 will cam the plungers 5| outwardly, thereby allowing the cords to pull free of and separate from the slots 50 in the clamping device. Thus again, as in the form described above, the loop engaging portions which receive the legs of the child separate completely from the chair and assurance is provided that the child will not be permanently attached to the chair in the event that he slides down out of it.

While the forms of apparatus herein described constitute preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these precise forms of apparatus, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A restraining device for use with a child's high chair comprising a detachable clamping member for temporary attachment to the footrest of the chair, flexible leg embracing members attached to said clamping member adapted to receive the legs of the child seated in the chair, means for adjusting said leg embracing members to restrain movement of the child's feet in an upward direction beyond the seat level, means for effecting release of said leg embracing members from said chair upon the downward movement of the child out of the chair.

2. A restraining device for use with a child's high chair having a foot rest comprising a clamping member, means for releasably attaching said clamping member to the lower side of said foot rest, flexible leg embracing members attached to said clamping member and engageable with the legs of the child seated in the chair to restrain upward movement of the child therein, and means for effecting release of said leg embracing members from said chair in response to the downward movement of the child out of the chair.

3. A restraining device for use with a childs high chair comprising a clamping member, means for detachably securing said clamping member in operative position upon a part of said chair, leg embracing cords carried by said clamping member adapted to receive the legs of the child, means for adjusting the length of said cords to restrain the child against upward movement in the chair, and means for effecting release of said cords from said chair in response to the downward movement of the child out of the chair.

4. A restraining device for use with a child's high chair having a step comprising a clamping member including interfitting parts adapted to be positioned below the step of the chair, resilient means for yieldably retaining said member in operative position below said step, a pair of cords carried by said clamping member adapted to receive the legs of the child While seated in the chair to prevent his upward movement out of the chair, and means effective upon downward movement of the child out of the chair to eifect release of said cords with respect to said chair to allow the child to leave the chair.

5. A restraining device for use with a childs high chair comprising a clamping member for attachment to said chair, flexible cords carried by said clamping member adapted to receive the legs of the child seated in the chair to restrain upward movement therein, and yieldable means for releasably supporting said clamping member upon said chair providing for separation of said cords from said chair in response to downward movement of the child.

6. A restraining device for use with a childs high chair comprising a clamping member, resilient means for yieldably retaining said clamping member in operative position upon said chair, a pair of flexible cords carried by said clamping member adapted to receivethe legs of the child while seated in the chair preventing upward movement therein, said clamping member being releasable from said chair upon application of a downward thrust to said cords by said child.

7. A restraining device for use with a childs high chair having a step comprising a clamping member including two telescoping parts each having an up-turned gripping jaw, means for yieldably urging said parts together to engage said jaws in retaining relation with the ends of said step and with said clamping member located below the step, a pair of flexible cords car- 6 ried by said clamping member adjacent the opposite ends thereof and adapted to engage the legs of the child to restrain the child against upward movement in the chair, and means providing for release of said cords from said step in response to the downward movement of the child out of said chair.

8. A restraining device for use with a childs high chair having a step comprising a clamping member including two telescoping parts each having an up-turned gripping jaw at its outer end, means for yieldably urging said parts together to engage said jaws in retaining relation with said step and with said clamping member located below the step, a pair of flexible cords carried by said clamping member adjacent the opposite ends thereof and adapted to engage the legs of the child to restrain the child against upward movement in the chair, and means carried by said parts for releasably securing said cords thereon and providing for separation thereof in response to downward movement of the child out of said chair.

PERCY E. GROOMS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

' UNITED STATES PATENTS Date 

